Patterns of ‘Mock Bureaucracy’ in Mining Disasters: An Analysis of the Westray Coal Mine Explosion
研究矿业灾难中常见的“虚假官僚主义”现象，即工作场所公然违反安全规则的情况，并以西雷煤矿爆炸案为例分析其形成与制度化过程，对理解工业危机有启示。
Recent studies on the antecedents of industrial crises have tended to focus on disasters in high‐risk systems involving complex technologies and tightly‐knit processes. This paper examines events leading up to mining disasters which past research has characterized as being typically more foreseeable and avoidable. We discuss how many mining disasters are likely to be the result of ‘mock bureaucracies’ or situations characterized by overt violation of safety rules at the workplace. Using the Westray mine explosion as an illustrative case, the paper traces the development and institutionalization of a mock bureaucracy in an organization. Implications for further research and understanding of industrial crises are drawn.